JOB 21

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Job Replies: The Wicked Do Prosper  21:1 Then Job answered and said:
2

“Keep listening to my words,

and let this be your comfort. 3

Bear with me, and I will speak,

and after I have spoken, mock on. 4

As for me, is my complaint against man?

Why should I not be impatient? 5

Look at me and be appalled,

and lay your hand over your mouth. 6

When I remember, I am dismayed,

and shuddering seizes my flesh. 7

Why do the wicked live,

reach old age, and grow mighty in power? 8

Their offspring are established in their presence,

and their descendants before their eyes. 9

Their houses are safe from fear,

and no rod of God is upon them. 10

Their bull breeds without fail;

their cow calves and does not miscarry. 11

They send out their little boys like a flock,

and their children dance. 12

They sing to the tambourine and the lyre

and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. 13

They spend their days in prosperity,

and in peace they go down to Sheol. 14

They say to God, ‘Depart from us!

We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. 15

What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?

And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’ 16

Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?

The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17

“How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?

That their calamity comes upon them?

That God distributes pains in his anger? 18

That they are like straw before the wind,

and like chaff that the storm carries away? 19

You say, ‘God stores up their iniquity for their children.’

Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it. 20

Let their own eyes see their destruction,

and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21

For what do they care for their houses after them,

when the number of their months is cut off? 22

Will any teach God knowledge,

seeing that he judges those who are on high? 23

One dies in his full vigor,

being wholly at ease and secure, 24

his pails full of milk

and the marrow of his bones moist. 25

Another dies in bitterness of soul,

never having tasted of prosperity. 26

They lie down alike in the dust,

and the worms cover them.
27

“Behold, I know your thoughts

and your schemes to wrong me. 28

For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince?

Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?’ 29

Have you not asked those who travel the roads,

and do you not accept their testimony 30

that the evil man is spared in the day of calamity,

that he is rescued in the day of wrath? 31

Who declares his way to his face,

and who repays him for what he has done? 32

When he is carried to the grave,

watch is kept over his tomb. 33

The clods of the valley are sweet to him;

all mankind follows after him,

and those who go before him are innumerable. 34

How then will you comfort me with empty nothings?

There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”

JOB 22

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Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great  22:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2

“Can a man be profitable to God?

Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. 3

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,

or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? 4

Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you

and enters into judgment with you? 5

Is not your evil abundant?

There is no end to your iniquities. 6

For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing

and stripped the naked of their clothing. 7

You have given no water to the weary to drink,

and you have withheld bread from the hungry. 8

The man with power possessed the land,

and the favored man lived in it. 9

You have sent widows away empty,

and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. 10

Therefore snares are all around you,

and sudden terror overwhelms you, 11

or darkness, so that you cannot see,

and a flood of water covers you.
12

“Is not God high in the heavens?

See the highest stars, how lofty they are! 13

But you say, ‘What does God know?

Can he judge through the deep darkness? 14

Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,

and he walks on the vault of heaven.’ 15

Will you keep to the old way

that wicked men have trod? 16

They were snatched away before their time;

their foundation was washed away. 17

They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’

and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’ 18

Yet he filled their houses with good things—

but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. 19

The righteous see it and are glad;

the innocent one mocks at them, 20

saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,

and what they left the fire has consumed.’
21

“Agree with God, and be at peace;

thereby good will come to you. 22

Receive instruction from his mouth,

and lay up his words in your heart. 23

If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;

if you remove injustice far from your tents, 24

if you lay gold in the dust,

and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed, 25

then the Almighty will be your gold

and your precious silver. 26

For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty

and lift up your face to God. 27

You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,

and you will pay your vows. 28

You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,

and light will shine on your ways. 29

For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;

but he saves the lowly. 30

He delivers even the one who is not innocent,

who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

PROVERBS 16

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16:1

The plans of the heart belong to man,

but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 2

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

but the Lord weighs the spirit. 3

Commit your work to the Lord,

and your plans will be established. 4

The Lord has made everything for its purpose,

even the wicked for the day of trouble. 5

Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;

be assured, he will not go unpunished. 6

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. 7

When a man’s ways please the Lord,

he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 8

Better is a little with righteousness

than great revenues with injustice. 9

The heart of man plans his way,

but the Lord establishes his steps. 10

An oracle is on the lips of a king;

his mouth does not sin in judgment. 11

A just balance and scales are the Lord’s;

all the weights in the bag are his work. 12

It is an abomination to kings to do evil,

for the throne is established by righteousness. 13

Righteous lips are the delight of a king,

and he loves him who speaks what is right. 14

A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,

and a wise man will appease it. 15

In the light of a king’s face there is life,

and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. 16

How much better to get wisdom than gold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. 17

The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life. 18

Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19

It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. 21

The wise of heart is called discerning,

and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. 22

Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,

but the instruction of fools is folly. 23

The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to his lips. 24

Gracious words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and health to the body. 25

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death. 26

A worker’s appetite works for him;

his mouth urges him on. 27

A worthless man plots evil,

and his speech is like a scorching fire. 28

A dishonest man spreads strife,

and a whisperer separates close friends. 29

A man of violence entices his neighbor

and leads him in a way that is not good. 30

Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;

he who purses his lips brings evil to pass. 31

Gray hair is a crown of glory;

it is gained in a righteous life. 32

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. 33

The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the Lord.

LUKE 19

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Jesus and Zacchaeus  19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The Parable of the Ten Minas11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’” The Triumphal Entry28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Jesus Cleanses the Temple45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
    47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.